Lexington, Ky. – Competing in its premier home event of the year, the Transylvania swimming team wrapped up a busy two-day procession at the fifth-annual Transylvania Invitational on Sunday evening at the University of Kentucky's Lancaster Aquatic Center.

Welcoming Rhodes College, Sewanee: University of the South, Wittenberg University and fellow Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Anderson University, and Franklin College to Lexington, the large confluence of swimmers converged on the state-of-the-art natatorium down the street from Transylvania University for two days of grueling competition.

Competing on a proving ground against many of its HCAC peers and other strong Division III programs from around the region, the youthful Pioneers signed off on the weekend with the measuring stick again lengthened by a collection of improving performances.

The signature performance of the weekend came from sophomore Sarah Haerle on the women's side, who capped off the weekend with a furious performance in the women's 200 breaststroke. Haerle blasted ahead of her peers to win in 2:23.83 in the championship final, nearly eight seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

Along with the win in the 200 breaststroke, the sophomore added a pair of top-three finishes to her ledger for the weekend, placing second in the women's 100 breaststroke (1:07.25), and third in the women's 200 individual medley (2:11.65).

Freshman Drew Dodds posted a strong weekend to lead the Transylvania men for the weekend. His time of 1:56.80 in the men's 200 individual medley led to a second-place finish in the championship final. His time of 58.72 seconds in the men's 100 breaststroke was his personal best. Dodds took third in the event. The freshman tacked on a sixth-place finish in the men's 100 butterfly (52.99 seconds) to cap off a strong showing in his first Transylvania Invitational.

The Pioneers men's and women's teams each placed sixth in their respective divisions to finish out the weekend.

The swimming and diving team will break for the rest of December before returning to action at the start of January for the second half of the season. Their first official meet of the 2018 calendar year is at Lindsey Wilson College on January 12 at 6:00 p.m.

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